Orange Currant Scones Recipe

These orange currant scones are tall, buttery, and lightly sweet, with crisp golden edges and a tender crumb. Sweet dried currants and fresh orange zest add just the right balance of fruity sweetness and bright citrus flavor. Generously sized, bakery-style scones, they are especially good warm from the oven with a cup of coffee or tea.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my fresh cherry scones and my pumpkin scone recipe. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my breakfast and brunch recipes in one place.

Pook’s Pantry participates in affiliate programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Orange Currant Scone Recipe

I’ve been thinking about currant scones for at least a year. I’ve tested them with buttermilk and with cream, with and without orange zest, baking them snugly together, or giving them room to breathe. I finally landed on a recipe that I think works well, and I hope you’ll agree.

What you need to know

If you’ve never baked with them before, you might be wondering, “What are currants?” Dried currants are small, dark, seedless dried grapes with a naturally sweet, slightly tart flavor. They are much smaller than raisins, which makes them perfect for baked goods like scones because you get a little bit of fruit in nearly every bite.

Buttermilk scones, like these, tend to be slightly more tender than cream-based ones. The acid in buttermilk breaks down the proteins in flour to help create a soft crumb.

For best results, work quickly once you add the buttermilk. The acid activates the leaveners, while the butter will begin to soften as the dough sits at room temperature. Don’t let the dough sit for long — you want to get the scones chilled before the butter becomes too warm.

Ingredients

These tender buttermilk scones with dried currants and fresh orange zest are made with pantry basics you probably already have on hand.

• All-purpose flour — The base of the scone dough, it provides structure.
• Granulated sugar — Adds sweetness and helps the scones brown.
• Salt — Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
• Baking powder — Helps the scones rise and gives them a tender texture.
• Baking soda — Works with the acidity in the buttermilk to help the scones rise.
• Unsalted butter — Gives the scones their rich, buttery flavor and tender texture.
• Buttermilk — Adds a subtle tang and helps keep the scones tender.
• Egg — Adds richness and helps bind the dough together.
• Vanilla extract — Adds a little extra depth to the flavor.
• Dried currants — Add small bursts of sweet-tart flavor throughout the scones.
• Orange zest — Adds bright, fresh orange flavor without adding extra liquid to the dough.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make orange scones with currants. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk together. In a smaller bowl, or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, egg and vanilla.
2. Add: Grate frozen butter into dry ingredients, add orange zest, and toss to coat butter and zest with flour. *You can also dice butter into small pieces and cut in with a pastry cutter (also called a pastry blender).
3. Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and use a fork to lightly mix until just combined. It will be a shaggy dough.
4. Shape: Using your hands and a flexible bench scraper to form the dough into a circle measuring roughly 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 inches tall and 7 – 8 inches across. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 20 minutes.
5. Cut: Slice the dough into 8 wedges (or 6 for large, bakery-style scones).
6. Brush: Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk, then bake until golden brown.

Chef’s Tips for Success

• Keep the butter cold — Put the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes to make sure it is VERY cold before grating into dry ingredients.
• Don’t overwork the dough — Don’t handle the dough too much while combining the wet and dry ingredients, or while forming dough into a disk.
• Don’t add too much flour — I put a bit of flour into an empty spice jar and lightly sprinkle it over the dough to avoid adding too much flour, which can make your scones tough.
• Use fresh orange zest — Fresh orange zest will give your scones the best flavor.

Orange Currant Scones FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Swap raisins or dried cranberries for currants — If you can’t find currants, you can swap them out. One thing to note: Dried currants are smaller and more tart than raisins or dried cranberries, so they may yield a slightly sweeter scone.
• Add a simple orange glaze — For a sweet topper, make a simple orange glaze to drizzle over the scones.
• Try lemon zest instead of orange — If you prefer a bright, tart flavor, lemon zest will deliver.
• Add chopped nuts — Do you like a little crunch? Add some toasted pecans.

Please share

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

I hope you love this orange currant scone recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

​Buy me a coffee? If you ever wondered how you can lend a hand, show a little support or just say “thanks” for the recipes? You can “buy me a coffee” to help me keep the free recipes coming.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!